VMworld 2012: VMware Launches vCloud Director 5.1

As a key part of the new vCloud Suite, vCloud Director 5.1 gets a bunch of new features, and takes on a new role. The new role is that vCD is built into the suite, and is the layer where the cross-cluster capabilities are implemented. Therefore vCD becomes much less of a Cloud Management solution, and much more of a key part of the platform which implements Virtual Data Centers (VDC’s) for customers.

New vCloud Director Functionality

vCloud Director is where a significant part of the new functionality in the vCloud Suite is implemented. The most important features are VXLAN which allows for the creation of Virtual Data Centers that span clusters. VXLAN allows allows for the vMotion of a VM and its associated storage from one cluster to another.

vCloud Director 5.1 (Click to Enlarge)

vCloud Director 5.1 Enhanced Networking and Security Features

vCloud Director 5.1 is also where some dramatically enhanced networking and security features are implemented. Many of the vShield security components which one used to have to purchase separately are now included in vVD.

The depth of the new networking functionality is not to be underestimated. It is clear that VMware embarked upon the Software Defined Networking path long before they acquire Nicira. Some other important details include:

Integrated Profile Driven Storage

Integrated Storage DRS

Integrated Snapshot and Revert

The aforementioned integration of VXLAN

The ability for VDC’s to span clusters

The bundling of the vShield Security components

Summary

vCloud Director contains many of the features that make the vCloud Suite compelling. This will likely force (or entice) many VMware customers and prospects to adopt vCD which will simply then serve to justify the price for the entire vCloud Suite.

Published by Bernd Harzog

Bernd Harzog is the Analyst at The Virtualization Practice for Performance and Capacity Management and IT as a Service (Private Cloud).
Bernd is also the CEO and founder of APM Experts a company that provides strategic marketing services to vendors in the virtualization performance management, and application performance management markets.
Prior to these two companies, Bernd was the CEO of RTO Software, the VP Products at Netuitive, a General Manager at Xcellenet, and Research Director for Systems Software at Gartner Group. Bernd has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chicago.
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